The Labrador Retriever was once again crowned top dog on The American Kennel Club’s (AKC) annual list of the most popular dog breeds. Labs have held the reins of the top 10 dog breeds for 24 straight years—the longest streak in AKC history. While the lovable Lab continued its historic…

Marco Giannini, CEO of Protein For Pets Merchandising is something we talk about a lot here at Pet Business magazine. Our writers often ask their sources for merchandising tips no matter what the topic—from toys to nutritional supplements to treats. And the suggestions often include retailers’ usual…

A 15-inch Beagle named Ch Tashtins Looking For Trouble—or Miss P for short—who was handled by Will Alexander, may have taken home the top prize at the 139th-annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Feb. 17, but perhaps show sponsor Purina Pro Plan’s behind-the-scenes Twitter Mirror photo booth also deserved…

We’re less than two weeks away from the kick-off of Global Pet Expo (March 4-6) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. As the largest annual trade show in the pet industry, retail buyers can be sure that they will find the show floor packed with innovative…

The world will be filled with a little more love this weekend as Valentine’s Day celebrations commence in restaurants, movie theaters and in the homes of lovers everywhere. While Feb. 14 is traditionally thought of as a day for couples to celebrate their love and commitment to each other, it…

I just got back from the 2015 PIDA Management Conference, hosted by the Pet Industry Distributors Association, and it was a great way to kick off what should be a banner year for the pet industry. As it has for nearly 50 years, the conference gathered pet product distributors and…

Super Bowl Sunday has become just as much about animals as it is about football. Yes, that’s a bold statement. Yet, the millions of Puppy Bowl viewers and the demand for a similar program featuring felines (the Kitten Bowl is back!) is proof enough. However, our furry friends’ fun isn’t…

Come Super Bowl Sunday, invested football fans will undoubtedly choose a team to cheer on for the win. While football lovers weigh which team—the New England Patriots or the Seattle Seahawks—should win the big game, fanatics of Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl may consider which team of adorable and adoptable puppies…

The teeny, tiny football-kicking furballs are about to hit the field, again. And we’re not just talking about puppies. The Kitten Bowl—Hallmark Channel’s feline phenomenon that gave the highly popular Puppy Bowl a run for its money in 2014—is back this year, and with more celebrities than ever. …

Even with all of the uncertainty surrounding the direction of the U.S. economy, many pet retailers rang in the new year with optimism as several key economic indicators provided good reason to hope that 2015 could be a banner year for their businesses. Fuel prices began dropping quickly in late…

While the calendar is already two weeks deep into 2015, the holiday selling season is still top of mind for many retail industry participants and observers, who have been eagerly waiting for reports on how retailers fared at the end of last year. After all, even though the holidays are…

Pet owners traveling to and from New York got some good news today with the announcement that a $48-million, state-of-the-art animal handling cargo terminal will be developed at the city's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The ARK at JFK will be a 178,000-sq.-ft. facility devoted to the safe and comfortable…

As part of its ongoing VE ALPHA Prey-model diet campaign to encourage pet parents to feed healthier diets, Vital Essentials is offering special pricing on its popular Green Tripe products in March. “March is a natural—everybody is thinking ‘green,’ so we thought it was a great time to call attention…

Canadian pet retailer Pet Valu has acquired the 32-store Jack’s Pets chain, as well as its online pet product outlet, petsolutions.com. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.“We are excited to be able to work with the people at Jack’s Pets and PetSolutions,” said Tom McNeely, CEO of Markham,…

The Pet Industry Sustainability Coalition (PISC) will release its Sustainability Showcase Volume 1 at Global Pet Expo. It features four stories of how companies are maximizing the business value of environmental and social sustainability programs. Pulling from their membership base of over 100 companies, the feature stories include a financial…

Solid Gold Pet has named Steve Opitz as director of quality. In this position, Opitz will oversee all technical developments, commercialization, and manufacturing procedures of the company’s third-party production facilities and sourcing partners.In addition, Opitz will lead the design and implementation of a quality program to complement Solid Gold’s long-term…

Kristen Levine—founder and president of Kristen Levine Pet Living, a multimedia platform that connects pet-positive companies with the vast audience of pet product and service consumers—has collaborated with Mary Furlong & Associates and Dog Bone Marketing Solutions for the Pet Living 50+ marketing program. The program aims to assist pet-positive…

TailsSpin Pet Food and Accessories, a Savannah, Ga.-based retail operation with three stores, was named a Blue Ribbon Small Business Award winner from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Blue Ribbon Awards recognize companies for their dedication to the principles of free enterprise, contributions to restoring jobs and supporting economic…

Wellness Natural Pet Food and the WellPet Foundation made a $1.7 million in-kind donation of Wellness pet food to PetSmart Charities for distribution to five shelters in Arizona and Indiana serving pets in need. The donation represents the largest-ever volume donation received by PetSmart Charities, and the single-largest donation by…

An U.S. Army Veteran received a service dog specifically trained for his needs, as a result from Three Dog Bakery's Veteran's Day promotion. Through the promotion, Three Dog Bakery raised $5,000 for F.I.S.H. (Food Industry Serving Heroes), which paid for training two service dogs. Brandon Garrison met his service dog…

Mike Silva has rejoined Fauna Foods as its director of sales. Silva left the company to consult in a start-up venture. He joined Fauna Foods in 2013 and has 15 years of experience in the consumer products sector. Previously, Silva worked as a unit manager, Long Island at Phillip Morris…

Dogswell has redesigned the packaging for several of its food and treat lines. Happy Hips, Vitality and Dogwell’s Jerky treats, Bars, Strips, Squares and Grillers will have an updated look. With the new packaging, customers will be able to easily identify which proactive health benefits—such as holistic health, hip and…

The OurPet's Company has made plans to purchase certain assets of Molor Products Company that complement the OurPet's product lines. The products include the full-size and mini Food 'N' Fountain deluxe cat and dog bowls, the Cat Buffet, the EZ Store Raised Dog single bowl, which is similar to the…

PetSafe has donated $5,000 to Big Brother Big Sisters of East Tennessee (BBBSETN) to help cover costs incurred in high quality one-to-one mentoring. BBBSETN has provided positive youth development for at-risk youth for 45 years. With offices in Knoxville, Tenn., and Kingsport, Tenn., Big Brothers Big Sisters aims to provide…